The present disclosure relates to a lighting apparatus. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an energy efficient lighting apparatus having a compact design and effective heat management characteristics.
In an illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, a lighting apparatus includes a housing having a rear wall, first and second side panels, a top wall, a bottom wall and a front window cooperating to define an interior region of the housing. The apparatus also includes a light emitter located in the interior region of the housing, a driver for the emitter, and a heat sink coupled to the driver. The heat sink includes a plurality of fins for cooling the driver. The apparatus further includes a driver mounting portion having a mounting surface and a side wall. The side wall is coupled to one of the heat sink and the driver so that the plurality of fins of the heat sink are exposed. The mounting surface of the driver mounting portion is coupled to the housing, preferably to the rear wall.
In one illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the light emitter includes a body portion and a bulb located on a front side of the body portion. Illustratively, the light emitter includes a plasma bulb located within a dielectric material, and the driver generates a radio frequency (RF) signal which is guided to the emitter by a cable so that the RF signal vaporizes contents of the bulb into a plasma state to generate a source of light. The driver is spaced apart from the mounting surface of the driver mounting portion to provide an air gap to reduce heat transfer from the housing containing the light emitter to the driver. The heat sink is configured to maintain a temperature of the driver at less than or equal to 75° C. despite the proximity of the driver to the housing containing the light emitter.
Additional features and advantages of the present system will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the present system as presently perceived.